Chapter 1 – Ancient America: Before 1492

STUDY GUIDE

U.S. History 2, HIST 1302

Spring 2020

Dr. T. Thomas

Austin Community College

History is not about “memorizing” data, facts, names, and dates. History is about knowing and understanding the past and its impact on the present: what happened, when and where, who was involved, what motivated the participants, why events happened, and the consequences of these events/actions. So in order to be successful in this course, you must know the “who, what, when, where and why” but also the “connections” between people and events, the “motivations” of the people, and the “consequences (short-term and long-term)” of the events of the past.

Memorizing can be helpful, but it will not give you a complete understanding of history.

With this in mind, here are some suggestions for using this guide successfully:

v Read the chapter first, to get a good overview of what the chapter is about. Pay attention to the chapter subheadings (subtitles). They are often clues to the important themes of a chapter subsection. Similarly, pay attention to the opening paragraph of each section - here you will usually find the thesis, or "main point" of a section.

v Then read the chapter again, answering the study questions.

v Write answers to each of these study questions. Some students use index cards, writing one question/answer on each card. Don't just highlight the answers in your textbook - write them out.

v Read with a dictionary. Look up any word whose meaning you do not know.

v Approach this course as you would a job. Set aside a specific time each day - or every other day - to work on reading and study questions. This is your work schedule; honor it as you would your job.

v Work on the reading and study questions gradually, completing small amounts of work each day (or every other day). Research shows that people retain information better if they work for no more than 2 hours at one task. For example, on Mondays from 2-4 pm, read half the chapter. On Tuesday, read the other half. On Wednesday, write out the first 20 study questions; on Thursday, the next 20, and so on. Don't try to do all the reading and the study questions the night before the exam. "Cramming" is not an effective, nor is it a successful study method.

v If possible, form a study group with 2 or 3 other students. Work together to find answers, quiz each other, and offer general support. Study groups are a proven, effective means of studying.

v If you have any trouble finding answers, or if you are unsure of your answers, contact Dr. Thomas for clarification.

These study questions are provided to help you achieve success on the exams and in this course and are not to be turned in to Dr. Thomas.

Exam Strategy Suggestion:

The first exam (Map Test) is pretty easy - so don't spend more than a couple of hours studying for it. However, the other four exams are much harder - so spend most of your time preparing for them.

UNIT 1 (Map Test)

Because the history of the United States was shaped and influenced to a large degree by the geography of the continent, it is important for you to know some basic North American geography.

Your first exam will be a 30-question “Map” test.

When you take your exam, you will be given a map of the U.S. and will be asked to identify 30 of the items listed below. A passing grade (70%) is 21 correct out of 30.

You should be able to locate all of these on a map:

Each of the 50 states of the United States

Canada All 5 Great Lakes Chicago, IL

Mexico Missouri River Richmond, VA

Atlantic Ocean Red River Charleston, SC

Pacific Ocean Columbia River Boston, MA

Gulf of Mexico Chesapeake Bay San Francisco, CA

Great Plains Hudson River Austin, TX

Appalachian Mountains Ohio River Washington, D.C.

Rocky Mountains Mississippi River New York City

Philadelphia, PA

Below is a link to a Map Test Quiz that can test ONLY your knowledge of the 50 states of the United States. It does not test you on the other geographic features listed above. So, in addition to the states, make sure you also know the rivers, lakes, oceans, mountain ranges, and cities listed above.

Online Map Test Practice Quiz of States in the U.S. available on my website homepage and also available by copying and pasting this URL into your browser:

http://www.ilike2learn.com/ilike2learn/unitedstates.html

(This site also contains other world geography quizzes that you might find fun and interesting.)

UNIT 2 (Chapters 17 - 20)

(NOTE: This class does not cover Chapter 16)

Chapter 17 – The Contested West, 1865 - 1900

1. Explain how the Indian empire of Comanchería was destroyed in the 1870s.

2. Discuss the outcomes of the Battle of the Little Big Horn.

3. Describe how institutions such as the Carlisle Indian School sought to “civilize” Native Americans.

4. Discuss the intent and the consequences of the Dawes Allotment Act of 1887.

5. Describe the non-violent form of resistance employed by Native Americans on the Plains by the 1880s and its effect on the white population.

6. Identify the 1890 event that signaled the end of Indian resistance in the West.

7. Describe a typical mining town of the “Wild West”.

8. Define “buffalo soldier”.

9. Define “nativism” and describe how it affected America’s Chinese population.

10. Discuss the factors that stimulated a land rush in the trans-Mississippi West.

11. Locate the Indian territory opened to white settlers beginning in 1889.

12. Identify the invention that revolutionized cattle ranching and discuss how it changed cattle ranching.

13. Define “vaquero” and discuss the fate of the vaqueros by the 1880s.

14. Define “agribusiness” and discuss the factors that transformed family farms into agri businesses.

15. Explain the federal government’s policy of “benign neglect” of the western territories.

Chapter 18 – Railroads, Business & Politics in the Gilded Age, 1865-1900

16. Identify the theme(s) of Mark Twain and Charles Warner’s The Gilded Age.

17. Discuss how the federal government aided the development of the railroads.

18. Identify the inventor and the invention that precipitated a “communication revolution” in the mid-nineteenth century.

19. Name the man who came to dominate the steel industry and describe how he did it.

20. Name the man who came to dominate the oil industry and describe how he did it.

21. Identify the inventions that most revolutionized Americans’ lives in the Gilded Age.

22. Define “finance capitalism” and name America’s preeminent Gilded Age finance capital- ist.

23. Define “social Darwinism”.

24. Explain the social Darwinist philosophy and how it was used to justify the accumulation of wealth and economic power.

25. Show how religion and ethnicity played a significant role in Gilded Age politics.

26. Define “spoils system” and explain how it resulted in strengthening political parties in the Gilded Age.

27. Discuss the components of the New South’s economy.

28. Discuss Ida B. Wells’ campaign against racism in the New South.

29. Show how women organized to effect social change in Gilded Age society.

30. Name the group of reformers from Massachusetts and New York, who worked to elimi- nate the spoils system that characterized Gilded Age politics.

31. Identify the legislative attempts to curb the power of big business on behalf of the public interest.

32. Discuss why farmers from the west and south supported free silver.

Chapter 19 – The City & Its Workers, 1870-1900

33. Compare America’s typical European immigrant before 1880 to the typical immigrant after 1880.

34. Locate the facility known to immigrants as the “gateway” to the United States.

35. Describe the social geography of American cities in the Gilded Age.

36. Enumerate the increase in child labor from 1870 to 1900.

37. Compare the working patterns/opportunities of white and African American women.

38. Describe how women entered the white-collar workforce in greater numbers by the late 19^th century.

39. Explain how the Great Railroad Strike of 1877 helped to promote the growth of unions.

40. List the major labor unions and their leaders.

41. Discuss the consequences of the bombing at the Haymarket Square rally.

42. Define the “cult of domesticity”.

43. Describe how municipal governments improved city life.

44. Define political party “boss” and “machine” and discuss their impact on Gilded Age

American cities.

45. Discuss how the World’s Columbian Exposition was representative of America in the Gilded Age.

Chapter 20 – Dissent, Depression, & War, 1890-1900

46. Identify the problems and issues facing farmers.

47. List the components of the People’s (Populist) Party plan to help farmers.

48. Identify the problems and issues facing industrial laborers.

49. Discuss the consequences of the Homestead Steel “lockout”.

50. Identify the labor action that demonstrated the power of the government in the nation’s labor wars.

51. Explain how the “injunction” was used to break the Pullman strike.

52. Name the founder of the Socialist Party in America.

53. Discuss the rationale behind women’s support for the temperance movement.

54. Explain Frances Willard’s use of the “cult of domesticity” to argue for woman suffrage.

55. Identify the most prominent issue of the presidential election of 1896, championed by candidate William Jennings Bryan.

56. Identify the factors that prompted America’s overseas expansion by the 1890s.

57. Identify the foreign policy that established the western hemisphere as an American “sphere of influence”.

58. Discuss the consequences of John Hay’s Open Door policy in China.

59. Explain why the U.S. entered into war with Spain in 1898.

60. Describe the new American “empire” that resulted from the Treaty of Paris in 1898.

UNIT 3 (Chapters 21 - 23)

Chapter 21 – Progressivism from the Grass Roots to the White House, 1890-1916

1. Explain what Jane Addams and the other reformers at Hull House hoped to accomplish.

2. Identify the general goals that characterized the Progressive movement.

3. Compare the meaning of “social gospel” with “gospel of wealth”.

4. Name the Progressive reformer who pioneered public health nursing in urban neighborhoods.

5. Discuss the membership and goals of the Women’s Trade Union League.

6. Identify the progressive governor of Wisconsin and his progressive reforms at the state level.

7. Explain Teddy Roosevelt’s trust policy and how he enforced it.

8. Identify the progressive legislation passed during Teddy Roosevelt’s second term.

9. Explain what Teddy Roosevelt meant when he said “speak softly but carry a big stick”.

10. Show where the U.S. asserted its role as an international “policing” power during the Roosevelt administrations.

11. Describe William Howard Taft’s foreign policy and its consequences.

12. Identify the Wilson administration’s domestic legislative accomplishments.

13. Identify the founder of birth control movement and the movement’s progressive goals.

14. Describe Jim Crow laws and the judicial action(s) that supported them.

15. Discuss the leadership and the goals of the Niagara movement.

Chapter 22 – World War I: The Progressive Crusade at Home & Abroad, 1914-1920

16. Identify Woodrow Wilson’s belief(s) concerning the U.S.’s role in international affairs.

17. List the members of the Triple Alliance (also called the “Central Powers”) and the

Triple Entente (the “Allies”).

18. Explain Wilson’s declaration of American neutrality at the beginning of World War I.

19. Describe how German “unrestricted submarine warfare” violated traditional “rules of naval warfare”.

20. Explain why the U.S. entered World War I.

21. Identify the commander of the American Expeditionary Force.

22. Discuss how wartime mobilization impacted industrial laborers.

23. Discuss the wartime contributions of women at home and on the battle front.

24. Discuss the wartime role of the Committee on Public Information.

25. Discuss the goals of Wilson's "Fourteen Points."

26. Show how the map of Europe changed as a result of World War I.

27. Discuss Senate opposition to the Versailles Treaty and its impact on American involve ment in the League of Nations.

28. Identify the leader and the causes of the “Red Scare” of 1919.

29. Identify the organization which emerged in response to the “Red Scare” and was dedicated to protecting individual rights.

30. Discuss the consequences of wartime migration for African Americans.

31. Describe the experiences of Mexican immigrants to the U.S. between 1910 and 1920.

Chapter 23 – From New Era to Great Depression, 1920-1932

32. Identify the Harding administration policies intended to boost American enterprise.

33. Show how America exercised significant economic & diplomatic influence abroad in the 1920s.

34. Name the “keystone” industry of the American economy in the 1920s and what made it so successful.

35. Define “welfare capitalism” and explain its purpose.

36. Describe the consequences of Prohibition.

37. Analyze women activists’ failure to achieve political power in the 1920s.

38. Discuss the “black nationalist” philosophy of Marcus Garvey.

39. Identify the prolific expression of African American music, literature, and art that originated in New York City in the 1920s.

40. Explain the alienation felt by the “Lost Generation” of artists and writers.

41. Analyze the impact of the Johnson-Reed Act of 1924.

42. Explain the social implications of the Ku Klux Klan’s “100% Americanism” slogan.

43. Show how Democratic presidential candidate Al Smith and his platform represented all that rural Americans feared and resented.

44. Discuss the domestic economic problems evident in America by the late 1920s.

45. Explain activities in the Stock Market as a cause of the Great Depression.

46. Discuss Herbert Hoover’s response to the Stock Market Crash.

47. Discuss the consequences of the Great Depression for Mexican Americans.

48. Explain the growth of the American Communist Party in the 1930s.

UNIT 4 (Chapters 24 - 27)

Chapter 24 – The New Deal Experiment, 1932-1939

1. Analyze the impact of polio on the political career of Franklin D. Roosevelt.

2. Compare FDR’s beliefs with conservatives’ “laissez-faire” approach to the Great Depression.

3. Describe the factions within the Democratic Party as the 1932 presidential election approached.

4. Enumerate the objectives/goals which Roosevelt promised to pursue in the first hundred days of his administration.

5. Identify the economic area in which the Roosevelt administration achieved its first New Deal success.

6. Discuss how the New Deal sought to help farmers.

7. Summarize the opposition to the New Deal from the political right and from the political left.

8. Name the New Deal’s most prominent critics from the political “fringe” and their “radical” messages.

9. Describe the New Deal’s political and legislative support for labor and the New Deal’s impact on labor unions.

10. Identify the single most important social welfare program of the New Deal, and its components.

11. Explain Roosevelt’s reluctance to address the plight of African Americans in the south during the Great Depression.

12. Evaluate the achievements and limitations of the New Deal in ending the Depression.

Chapter 25 – The U.S. & The Second World War, 1939-1945

13. Discuss FDR’s “Good Neighbor Policy” and its consequences.

14. Describe the events in Europe, Africa, and Asia that threatened world peace in the 1930s and America’s response.

15. Identify the event that started World War II.

16. Discuss the consequences of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

17. Identify the Axis powers.

18. Identify the Roosevelt administration’s efforts to protect against espionage and subversion within the continental U.S. during WWII.

19. Analyze the impact of WWII on the U.S. economy.

20. Locate and discuss the Pacific theater battle that proved to be a turning point in the Allies’ war against Japan.

21. Analyze the importance of the Allies’ plan to open a “second front” in western France in the war against Germany.

22. Describe the contributions of women to the war efforts in the U.S.

23. Analyze the wartime experiences of African Americans in the U.S.

24. Identify the components of the GI “Bill of Rights”.

25. Discuss the U.S.’s reaction to reports of Hitler’s “final solution” in Europe.

26. Evaluate the results of the “D-Day” invasion.

27. Identify the participants and the results of the 1945 Yalta conference.

28. Discuss President Truman’s decision to use the atomic bomb.

Chapter 26 – Cold War Politics in the Truman Years, 1945-1953

29. Explain the concept of a "Cold War" and the issues that led to the deterioration of U.S.-Soviet relations after WWII.

30. Explain what was meant by an "Iron Curtain” in Europe.

31. Describe the Cold War concept of "containment".

32. Identify the goals of the Truman Doctrine and locate where the policy was first implemented).

33. Discuss the objectives of the Marshall Plan.

34. Identify the Berlin Blockade and the U.S. response.

35. Explain the Cold War concept of nuclear “deterrence” and its consequences.

36. Identify the new federal organizations created by the National Security Act of 1947.

37. Analyze the Cold War concept of "collective security" and how it was applied in 1949.

38. Characterize the foreign policy challenge(s) faced by Truman in the Middle East.

39. Show how the Serviceman’s Readjustment Act impacted the post-War economy.

40. Identify the organization(s) and actions of the post-war African American civil rights movement.

41. Identify the organization(s) and actions of the post-war Mexican American civil rights movement.

42. Explain the rise of “McCarthyism”.

43. Analyze the impact of McCarthyism on American society.

44. Explain how the Korean War began and why it was officially a "U.N. police action."

Chapter 27 – The Politics & Culture of Abundance, 1952-1960

45. Describe President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s "middle way" and analyze how it helped him navigate domestic politics.

46. Explain the decline of “McCarthyism”.

47. Describe how the special relationship between Native Americans and the federal gov ernment ended during the Eisenhower presidency.

48. Describe Eisenhower’s new national defense strategy.

49. Trace the origins of U.S. involvement in Vietnam.

50. Analyze the role of the CIA in American foreign policy during the 1950s.

51. Describe how the Suez Canal Crisis was part of the U.S. Cold War struggle against communism.

52. Explain the U.S.’s reaction to the Sputnik satellite launch.

53. Locate the “Sun Belt” and explain its growth in the postwar period.

54. Identify the impact of the bracero program on Mexican immigrants.

55. Enumerate the increase in college enrollments between the 1940s and the 1960s.

56. Explain the growing importance of television in shaping American values and attitudes.

57. Identify the individuals and organizations that provided leadership in the civil rights movement of the 1950s.

58. Discuss the strategies of the civil rights movement in the 1950s.

59. Discuss the successes and failures of the civil rights movement in the 1950s.

UNIT 5 (Chapters 28 – 31)

Chapter 28 – Reform, Rebellion, & Reaction, 1960-1974

1. Evaluate John F. Kennedy’s success in the 1960 presidential election and identify his opponent.

2. Describe Kennedy's plans to ease poverty.

3. Identify the Warren Commission and its purpose.

4. Identify Lyndon Johnson’s legislative efforts to declare “war on poverty”.

5. Identify the Great Society’s efforts to end racial discrimination.

6. Identify the Warren Court decisions that reformed the criminal justice system.

7. Describe the goals of the “black power” movement and its most prominent spokesmen.

8. Explain the goals and tactics of the American Indian Movement.

9. Discuss the individuals and organizations who provided leadership in the Chicano civil rights movement.

10. Identify the objectives of the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS).
11. Identify the event that served as a turning point of the gay rights movement of the 1960s.

12. Describe the goals of the “women’s liberation” movement.

13. Summarize the factors that led to the electoral success of Richard Nixon in 1968.

14. Identify the book which sparked the modern environmental movement in the U.S.

Chapter 29 – Vietnam & End of the Cold War Consensus, 1961-1975

15. Describe the consequences of the Bay of Pigs invasion.

16. Define the Kennedy administration foreign policy strategy of “flexible response”.

17. Discuss the outcomes of the Cuban Missile Crisis.

18. Explain President Kennedy's decision to expand U.S. involvement in Vietnam.

19. Identify the legislative action that authorized President Lyndon Johnson to expand the conflict in Vietnam and its consequences.

20. Describe the demographic composition of U.S. military forces in Vietnam.

21. Discuss the Johnson administration’s efforts to silence critics of the Vietnam War.

22. Evaluate the results of the Tet Offensive.

23. Analyze Richard Nixon’s victory in the 1968 presidential election.

24. Identify President Nixon's National Security Advisor.

25. Explain President Nixon's policy of détente toward China and the Soviet Union.

26. Describe President Nixon's strategy for ending the Vietnam War.

27. Explain Congress' motivation in passing the War Powers Act in 1973.

28. Discuss the impact of the Vietnam War on American society.

Chapter 30 – America Moves to the Right, 1969-1989

29. Identify the goals of the post-war conservatives.

30. Explain the role played by President Nixon in the Watergate scandal.

31. Assess the outcomes of the Watergate controversy.

32. Explain the challenges of Gerald Ford's presidency.

33. Analyze Jimmy Carter's appeal to voters in the 1976 presidential election.

34. Evaluate President Jimmy Carter’s foreign affairs successes and failures.

35. Discuss the reasons for Ronald Reagan's victory in the 1980 presidential election.

36. Describe the Reagan administration theory of “supply-side” economics.

37. Describe the consequences of President Reagan’s conservative “trickle-down” economics policies.

38. Name the first women appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court.

39. Identify the issue that helped motivate the growth of gay rights activism during the Reagan era.

40. Discuss President Reagan's approach to foreign and military affairs.

41. Summarize the elements of glasnost, as promoted by the Soviet Union’s Mikhail Gorbachev.

Chapter 31 – The Promises and Challenges of Globalization: Since 1989

42. Analyze how President George H. W. Bush tailored his moderate positions to a more conservative agenda of the Republican party.

44. Identify the events that fostered an end to the Cold War.

43. Discuss the circumstances that led to U.S. involvement in the Persian Gulf War in 1991.

45. Analyze the major issues and the outcome of the 1992 presidential campaign.

46. Identify the reform-oriented major policy initiatives of President Clinton's first term.

47. Explain the events that led to President Clinton’s impeachment in 1998.

48. List the characteristics of the economy during the Clinton administrations.

49. Discuss the role of the U.S. in the “new world order” that emerged after the Cold War.

50. Identify the Clinton administration legislative efforts to promote a “global marketplace”.

51. Characterize native-born Americans' attitudes toward immigration in the 1980s and 1990s.

52. Describe the controversy surrounding the outcome of the presidential election of 2000.

53. Explain what President George W. Bush meant when he described himself as a "compassionate conservative."

54. Describe President George W. Bush’s efforts to reform public education.

55. Identify the consequences of the events of September 11, 2001 in the area of domestic policy.

56. Discuss the doctrine of “pre-emption” and its application under President George W. Bush.

57. Identify the candidates and the outcome of the presidential election of 2008.

58. Describe the most significant domestic achievement of President Obama's first admin- istration.

59. Define “Tea Party activists”.

60. Discuss President Obama’s reluctance to commit to U.S. involvement in popular uprisings in the Middle East.